Trator



(Nomodelq) C. F. STOCK, Deod,,

N. G. MOORE, Administrator.

FLYING TARGET.

No. 314,745. Patented Mar. 31, 1885.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES F. STOCK, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS; N. GRIER MOORE, ADMINIS- TRATOR, ASSIGNOR TO EDWARD H. WALKER, OF SAME PLACE.

FLYING TARGET.

SPEOIPICA' I'ION TQIming part of Letters Patent No. 314,745, dated March 31, 1885.

Application filed May 12, 1884.

To all whom it may concern..-

Be'it known that I, CHARLES F. STooK, of Peoria, in the county of Peoria, in the State of Illinois, have invented an Improved Flying Target; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, in which like letters of reference refer to like parts, and in which- Figure 1 represents a plan view of the same; Fig. 2, a sectional view at x as; Fig. 3, a sectional View at 3 Fig. 4, a radial section showing a modified form of my target.

This i invention is in the line of approximately saucershaped targets formed of some fragile substance, and designed for being thrown into the air, where,'while flying therein, they are shot at, and by their fracture or escape therefrom the accuracy of the marksmans aim is demonstrated.

My invention relates, first, to the means whereby the flying target is held to the throwing mechanism while being started upon its flight; and, secondly, to the perfecting of its form in such a way as to insure its steadiness of flight while in the air.

y The means which I have designed for connecting the target to its throwing mechanism is a cord or equivalent device, secured at its ends to the target, and forming with its central portion a loop with which the throwingarm engages.

Although it may seem at first sight an unimportant change to substitute a simple string in the place of the tongue or other device previously used for the same purpose, a reference to the drawings will show what agreat im provement I have effected.

A is the target, and B the cord referred to.

As shown in Fig. 1, the ends of the cord B are secured to the periphery of the target A at such points and the length of the cord is so proportioned that when the medial portion of the cord is pulled outwardly, as it would be when the target is being thrown, the straight parts of the cord are tangent to the circumference of the target at their points of attachment. By this arrangement, no matter how sudden or hard is the pull that throws the target it is not fractured thereby. The reason for this is evident when it is noticed that the pull of each end of the cord B is in the direction of the length of the targets rim at (No model.)

its point of attachment. The difference between this manner of attachment and a device secured at one point of a targets rim and pulling radially therefrom is equal to the difference between pulling a stick apart and breaking it transversely.

I usually secure the ends of the cord B to my target A by embedding the same into the plastic material that is being formed into a target, as in Fig. 3.

To further strengthen my target, and also and especially to steady the flight of the same, I thicken the periphery of the target in the direction of a plane parallel to the edge and approximately midway between such edge and the concave face of the target, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. l The edge of the tar gets periphery is not thickened, nor is the concavo-convex side of the same. It is simply such a medial portion of the circular rim of the target as I have found to most evenly balance the target.

In Fig. 2 the target is made thicker and therefore heavier at the desired place by the addition in part of an annular projection, a, while in Fig. 4 there is no such ring, but a more gradual increase of material toward and at the desired place.

Although I have described my attaching device as a cord, I do not restrict myself to the same, but would employ at will either cord, wire, wooden twigs, fine rattan, &c.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and for which I desire Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In combination with the thin fragile flying target A, the thickening-ring a, located midway between the spherical face and the open mouth of said target,whereby the sameis balanced and rendered steadier in its flight, as herein specified.

2. The combination, with the thin fragile flying target A, of the thickening-ring a, located on said target, as set forth, and the cord B, or its equivalent, having its ends embedded at widely-different points in the periphcry of the said ring a, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing invention I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of May, 1884.

CHARLES F. STOCK.

Witnesses:

A. B. UPHAM, H. W. WELLs. 

